The exhibition is commissioned by Doreen Sibanda, Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, and curated by Raphael Chikukwa, Curator at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. It features the work of four artists: Berry Bickle; Calvin Dondo; Misheck Masamvu and Tapfuma Gutsa and works will be presented in the mediums of painting, photography, video installation and sculpture. This diverse group of artists through their works will examine the exhibition theme “Seeing Ourselves: Questioning our geographical landscape and the space we occupy from yesterday, today and tomorrow”. As they say in the proverb that, seeing is believing, that is, you need to see something before you can accept that it really exists. “Seeing Ourselves”, seeks to explore Zimbabwe’s artistic practices that are innovative, self –reflective and critical.

This creates new positions and challenging questions that asks, “What is contemporary Zimbabwean art”? Zimbabwean Pavilion exhibition will challenge ‘faulty/false’ constructs of the past, present and future, by presenting evidence of previously unacknowledged realities/narratives through contemporary voices. It is in the Curators hope that these artist’s works at the 54th International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venenzia will unclock the dialogue between Zimbabwe and the international art scene. These artists did not only limit themselves to the Zimbabwean issues but they also looked at the global issues. Zimbabwe’s narrative is to be able to tell its own story using this international platform. The politics of the day have changed and many artists have been exposed to diverse influences and they have influenced others too. After having been dominated by our own sculpture movement for the past fifty years, today things have changed: artists are tapping into new medium although sculpture is a movement that is here to stay. Our Zimbabwean story might not be different from the other African countries but it’s unique.

“The Zimbabwe Pavilion at the 54th International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia is pivotal in establishing a platform after the isolation of many years. The Zimbabwean pavilion will provide a rare opportunity to spark discussions about the role of artists in a society. Zimbabwe has been a Zone of Silence with little access to the platforms of exchange through which it can communicate. It is in this view that a Zimbabwean Pavilion at the 54th International Art Exhibition la Biennale di Venezia will break the silence.”